VAW-121
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Bluetails in flight (Courtesy National Museum of Naval Aviation History)
VAW-121 is a carrier-based airborne early warning squadron operating the E-2C Hawkeye.
HISTORY
- Although officially known as the "Griffins," VAW-121 is more commonly known as the "Bluetails" as shown in their disctinctive markings. VAW-121 is presently assigned to Carrier Air Wing 7 (CVW-7) which it has been since it began flying the E-2C Hawkeye in 1977.
Like VAW-122, VAW-123 and VAW-120, VAW-121 was created out of the "super squadron" VAW-12 on 1 April 1967. Until then, VAW-12 had deployed 4-plane detachments to accompany carrier air wings. Unlike its siblings, VAW-121 would fly the E-1B Tracer, deploying dets until the mid-1970's. This was due to the fact there were still carriers in the inventory that were not configured (USS Franklin D. Roosevelt)nor capable to handle the much larger E-2C (essentlially all those of the so-called "27C" class such as the USS Lexington).
In 1977 VAW-121 made its first deployment as part of CVW-7 on the newly commissioned USS Dwight D Eisenhower, but it wasn't until the next deployment in 1980 that they really began to set records. That year saw VAW-121 deployed for 347 days at sea with IKE/CVW-7 setting a modern day record that would not be broken until the deployment of the USS Theodore Roosevelt during Operation Enduring Freedom. After returning from this extended deployment, the Bluetails were sent to Iceland to relieve the Reserve E-2B squadrons who had picked up the North Atlantic AEW watch when the E-3 AWACS were re-deployed to Saudi Arabia. Returning from a three month winter deployment to Iceland, the Bluetails found themselves again in the North Atlantic conducting three CVBG operations with USS Forrestal and HMS Hermes, the later depoying with the new Sea Harrier. During the course of this three year period, 1979-1981 VAW-121 set unprecendeted levels of performance by winning the COMNAVAIRLANT Battle "E" for Excllence and AEW Excellence awards for three straight years and the Chief of Naval Operations Safety "S" for two straght years.
In the years since the Bluetails have been in the forefront of AEW/Battle Management from operations over Iraq to Bosnia. Along the way they have amassed an enviable flight safety record of over 29 years/58,000 hours of accident free flight ops -- the best of any East Coast squadron and second best in all of US Naval Aviation, an especially noteworthy achievemnt given their high risk operating environment.
Sources
Dossel, Carl W. "History of VAW"
The Hook, Summer 1983
National Museum of Naval Aviation,
Flight Log [
link]
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